National

B.C. port union challenges constitutionality of labour minister's back-to-work order

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 20 Nov, 2024 11:07 AM

The union representing port supervisors in British Columbia is formally challenging the legal and constitutional authority of the federal labour minister to order them back to work.

In a legal document dated Tuesday, International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 says it's questioning whether the order issued by Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon last week violates the right to collective bargaining and the right to strike.

The union says these rights are protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

It says the questions will be considered by a panel of the Canada Industrial Relations Board on Dec. 9 and 10.

This isn't the only challenge the federal government is facing on this issue, as the union representing port workers in Montreal also announced last week it intended to challenge the federal government.

MacKinnon stepped in on Nov. 12 to get ports in both B.C. and Montreal moving again after employers locked workers out.

His order directed the board to order all operations to resume and move both sets of talks to binding arbitration.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Higher share of foreign workers became permanent residents in recent years: StatCan

Foreign workers have been making the transition to permanent residency at higher rates in recent years, Statistics Canada says. A new report from the federal agency shows that between 2016 and 2020, 23 per cent of foreign workers had become permanent residents two years after obtaining their first work permits.

Higher share of foreign workers became permanent residents in recent years: StatCan

Major Calgary corridor closed due to water rupture three weeks ago set to reopen

Commuter traffic is returning to normal in Calgary following a major water main break three weeks ago. Calgary's mayor says the avenue above the repaired water main is set to reopen Friday.

Major Calgary corridor closed due to water rupture three weeks ago set to reopen

Unprovoked spat on female

Coquitlam R-C-M-P say they are looking for a man who spat unprovoked at another pedestrian before fleeing. Police say the assault happened while the victim, a female pedestrian, was walking on a sidewalk in the early evening hours near Coquitlam Centre when she was spat on.

Unprovoked spat on female

Abbotsford Police impound 42 vehicles

Abbotsford police say officers impounded 42 vehicles in a 48-hour period last week during a campaign targeting speeding drivers in the city. Police say officers were monitoring high-traffic corridors during the enforcement, and each driver caught speeding was issued a ticket and had their vehicle impounded for 7 days.

Abbotsford Police impound 42 vehicles

Food service workers walk off the job at Vancouver airport for 'one-day strike'

The union representing food service workers at Vancouver International Airport says more than 200 have walked off the job to push for higher wages. A statement from Unite Here Local 40 says the workers are employed by SSP America, which operates more than a dozen food outlets at the airport.

Food service workers walk off the job at Vancouver airport for 'one-day strike'

Head-on crash kills two, shuts highway, blocks ferry terminal in West Vancouver, B.C.

Police in West Vancouver say two people are dead after a head-on crash along Highway 1 that blocked access to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal. They say a vehicle travelling east in the westbound lanes near Westport Road caused the collision at about 11:40 p.m. Wednesday night.